Catrina, polychrome terracotta sculpture, Mexico

A 17th-18th century continental painted terracotta sculpture of a kneeling Virgin in the manner of Angolo di Poli. This exquisite terracotta sculpture features a poignant depiction of the Virgin Mary. The red and blue clothes...

Beautiful terracotta bust from the factory of Friedrich Goldscheider from the art nouveau period. Girl with flowers. Polychrome terracotta It represents a female bust with her head t...

1900s Antique Terracotta Majestic Horse on Wheeled Platform San Luis Potosí Mexico Collectible Toy Sculpture 8 H x 8.5 W x 3 d Terracotta horse. Mounted ...

Madonna and Child”. A statue of terracotta. Signed " Erika". Belgium, 1950s. Height 18" - 46 cm. Width 10.6" - 27 cm.

Large Hollywood Regency polychrome elephant sculpture. Large Hollywood Regency polychrome elephant sculpture or statue. Great whimsical decorative...

Limited edition Mexican Bella Catrina figurine in black gloss finish porcelain, adorned with three handmade flowers. The people of Mexico have a special relationship with death, to the point that it is part of the culture and daily life of this North American country. The Bella Catrina, conceived in the imagination of the artist Jose Guadalupe Posada...

This antique cast and dipped bronze Buddha sculpture and stand is signed by and unknown maker, and presumed to have been made in China in approximately 1920. Both the ornate stand an...

A large and atmospheric 18th century carved wooden statue of Saint Margaret, most likely originating from Spain. Executed in chestnut w...

Large 19th Century German Terracotta "Christus Consolator" Sculpture After Thorvaldsen, Scagliola Finish. This exquisite 19th-century German terracotta sculpture represents Jesus Ch...

MUSEUM PERFECTION ! AZTEC INFLUENCED LATIN AMERICAN COLONIAL ART AMAZINGLY RARE PIECE ! Approx. 14" x 8" x 2 1/2" After Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec empire, painting and sculpture schools were set up within missions to produce art for Roman Catholic worship in Spanish America to promote Christian evangelization. The works that emerge from this period are great historic treasures and tell us much about this time in history. Icons were important in this conversion process. Here is an Imagene that was likely employed in a church from the 17th century. It features 5 elaborately carved faces and figures depicting angels and saints. This piece is magnificent for many reasons, but the most important reason is that this piece illustrates the bridge between the Spanish and Aztec art schools. The Aztecs had developed the most splendid feather art in the world. Feather mosaics (arte plumario in Spanish, amantecayotl in Nahuatl), were created by specially trained and talented Aztec nobles. The blue green iridescent color of hummingbird feathers had made them a regular form of tribute to Aztec rulers and art that featured these feathers were incomparable. The Spanish art instructors adopted feathers into traditional Catholic imagery and this piece shows the result of such hybrid. Here feathers are prominently sculpted into the background and were polychromed with sensational hues to reflect the native love and cultural appreciation for feather art. Few feather mosaics survive because of their temporal frailty, but the wood worked feathers in this piece give scholars and collectors a lasting indication of how Aztecs stylistically used the feathers in their pieces. Aztec religious leaders wore headdresses and garments made of feathers - and here these saints appear to be wearing feather headdresses! Even after centuries, the colors of this piece are incredibly compelling. Fragments of the rich blue green pigment that was applied to mimic the hummingbird feathers are still present. The golds, yellows and browns display spectacular understanding of complementary colors. What's more this piece also shows Aztec sun imagery incorporated into the design! On the reverse side of the Saints' faces we see a vivid blue sun burst type design which clearly was an Aztec motif of the period and has no comparable counterpart in Catholic holy treasures...